MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Ai Ogura of Trackhouse Racing admitted he felt sympathy after overtaking Fabio Quartararo during the Sprint race at the 2026 Brazil MotoGP in Goiania due to a clear top speed disadvantage.
Quartararo had delivered a strong performance early in the Sprint, placing the new Yamaha V4 machine into second position after overtaking Marc Marquez. However, the French rider was unable to maintain that position as he became vulnerable on the straights.
Ogura capitalised on this limitation, passing Quartararo with relative ease on lap nine to move into fifth place. The speed trap data highlighted the disparity, with Quartararo reaching a top speed of 340.6 km/h, compared to 348.3 km/h for the Ducati of Marquez and 345.0 km/h for Ogura’s Aprilia RS-GP.
“It was an easy pass. I think everybody overtook him on the straight.”
“Clearly, the Aprilia is faster than the Yamaha on the straight, and I felt a little bit sorry for him because it was just power.”
The situation underlines the ongoing challenge for Yamaha in closing the gap in straight-line performance, despite progress with its new V4 configuration. While improvements have been made in handling and corner entry, the deficit in top speed remains a decisive factor in race conditions.
In addition to the Sprint, Ogura was involved in a late-race incident during Sunday’s grand prix, where he overtook Alex Marquez on the final lap to secure fifth place. He later admitted that the move was aggressive and not entirely clean.
“My move on Alex on the last lap wasn’t really clean. I already said sorry to him.”
“But it was the last lap, you have to try. I’m happy to bring a P5 home.”
Alex Marquez, however, did not raise any complaints and described the move as a fair racing manoeuvre, acknowledging the competitiveness of the overtake despite its intensity.
Meanwhile, Quartararo’s race weekend reflected the inconsistency currently affecting Yamaha. After securing sixth place in the Sprint, he dropped significantly to 16th in the grand prix, reinforcing the impact of performance limitations over longer race distances.
Ogura now sits sixth in the championship standings heading into the United States MotoGP at the Circuit of the Americas, which represents a home event for Trackhouse Racing. He expressed confidence ahead of the round, highlighting both personal preference and team motivation.
“It’s going to be a special weekend for us. COTA is my favourite circuit of the calendar.”
“We are the only American team in MotoGP, so it’s the place to aim for a strong result.”
The Brazil weekend further exposed the competitive gaps between manufacturers, particularly in top speed, a factor expected to play a crucial role again at COTA, where long straights will place additional emphasis on engine performance and energy deployment.
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